Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 July 2023
665. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage what specific plans there are for MMC (modern methods of construction) sites in County Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37153/23]
Amharc ar fhreagra666. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide an update on the delivery of social and affordable houses in Louth, to include the numbers of commencements and completions to 1 July 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37154/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 665 and 666 together.
Housing for All is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 per year over the next decade. This includes the delivery of 90,000 social homes, 36,000 affordable purchase homes and 18,000 cost rental homes. Housing for All is supported by an investment package of over €4bn per annum, through an overall combination of €12bn in direct Exchequer funding, €3.5bn in funding through the Land Development Agency and €5bn funding through the Housing Finance Agency.
My Department publishes comprehensive programme level statistics on a quarterly basis on social housing delivery activity by local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) in each local authority, including Louth. This data is available to the end of 2022, and is published on the statistics page of my Department’s website, at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/
My Department also publishes the Social Housing Construction Status Report (CSR). The CSR provides details of social housing developments and their location that have been completed, are under construction or are progressing through the various stages of the design and tender processes. The most recent publication was for Quarter 4 2022. The Q1 2023 CSR is being collated and will published in conjunction with the Q1 2023 social housing statistics. A version of the CSR file can also be downloaded for analysis of completions, locations, approvals stage etc at the link below: Social Housing Construction Status Report Q4 2022 - Dataset - Dept of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Data for affordable housing delivery is being published from 1 January 2022 and is available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/6060e-overall-social-housing-provision/#affordable-housing-delivery. Data for social and affordable housing delivery for Q1 2023 is currently being collated and will be published shortly.
Under Housing for All, each local authority has prepared a Housing Delivery Action Plan for the period 2022-2026. These Plans set out details of social and affordable housing delivery for the period 2022-2026, in line with targets issued by my Department.
Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) has been identified as a key measure to address increased housing delivery and methods to support increased use of MMC are set out in Pathway 5 of Housing for All. The development of MMC will improve productivity in construction and increase efficiency in residential construction. The Housing for All Action Plan Update and Quarter 3 2022 Progress Report, which was published on 2 November, included a new action to develop a roadmap with targets for increased use of MMC in public housing. This Roadmap was published on 11 July 2023 and is available at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/414cd-roadmap-for-increased-adoption-of-mmc-in-public-housing-delivery/
Last December funding of €94m was provided to local authorities to address legacy land debts. The provision of this funding was linked to the immediate development of a housing proposal, a commitment to use Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and for construction to start in 2023 or no later than 2024. A total of 26 sites received funding as part of an accelerated delivery programme, and with some additional sites since added, my Department is overseeing a project to progress delivery of MMC projects on 35 sites which will deliver approximately 1,800 new social homes. Louth County Council have four sites included in the accelerated delivery program which will deliver approximately 230 new social homes.
